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Microwave Radiometers Put to the Test in Germany
Microwave radiometers (MWRs) are instruments used to measure emissions of water vapor and liquid water molecules in the atmosphere at specific microwave frequencies. Different MWRs are used to measure various frequencies, but the accuracy of all their retrievals is somewhat suspect, particularly when clouds are “thin”—less than 100 gm 2. In June 2007, a 6-month…
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Records Set Again; New Process Enhances Reporting of User Facility Statistics
A second straight record high number of users (1092) and a new record for visitor days (2083) were reported by ARM for the third quarter of fiscal year 2007. The statistics also indicated a notable increase in non-ARM funded users at the ARM Mobile Facility deployment site in Germany, as well as large increases in…
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New Calibration Method May Purge Old Procedure
A pyrgeometer is a type of radiometer that measures energy in the spectral range from approximately 3.5 to 50 micrometers. ARM uses more than 100 pyrgeometers for longwave irradiance data supporting climate studies, so accuracy and consistency in their operations is critical for obtaining reliable data. A new method for calibrating these instruments was tested…
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Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics Announces Three-Week Physics of Climate Change Program
The Physics of Climate Change program will be at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) at the University of California, Santa Barbara, April 28-July 11, 2008. KITP programs differ from many conferences and workshops because they create situations where scientists learn from each other and actually do substantive research, often collaborating with other participants.…
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American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting Abstracts Due September 6
Abstracts are now being accepted for the 2007 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) to be held December 10-14 in San Francisco, California. The meeting will cover topics in all areas of Earth and space sciences and is expected to draw a crowd of more than 15,000 from around the world. Many ARM…
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Beat Schmid Named as Technical and Mission Science Director of the ARM Aerial Vehicles Program
Effective August 2, 2007, Dr. Beat Schmid will take on the position of Technical and Mission Science Director of the ARM Aerial Vehicle Program (AVP). Dr. Schmid is replacing Dr. Jim Mather as the lead for the ARM AVP and is responsible and accountable for the successful overall management of its activities. Beat brings an…
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Multifilter Radiometer Added to Cessna Payload
Downward-facing multifilter radiometers (MFR) are instruments used to measure the intensity and distribution of reflected energy from different surfaces, such as grass or dirt. The relative amount of reflected energy—also called “surface spectral albedo”—is important for determining the amount of energy exchanged between the surface and atmosphere in a given location. In May, an MFR…
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Review of ARM Infrastructure Completed
In May, the Department of Energy’s Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC) published findings and recommendations from their assessment of the effectiveness of ARM Climate Research Facility as a national scientific user facility. Based on a review of total user requests, the BERAC concluded that ARM was being effectively used by the broader scientific…
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Second International African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA) Conference Abstracts Due August 15
The Second International AMMA Conference will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany, November 26-30. Abstracts will be accepted in English and French until August 15. The conference aims to bring together researchers from around the world working on the Western African monsoon and its impacts, to review ongoing research and modeling activities, and to discuss ongoing…
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Abstracts Due August 1 for Annual American Meteorological Society Meeting
Abstracts for the 2008 American Meteorological Society (AMS) meeting are being accepted until August 1. The meeting will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, January 20-24, and is being organized around the broad theme of “Enhancing the Connectivity between Research and Applications for the Benefit of Society.” For more information, see the meeting website.